Rick Gates nixes family trip to Boston after threats

Rick Gates, the former Trump campaign aide who entered a guilty plea last week and agreed to cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, is canceling a planned family trip to Boston because of threatening comments posted online.

Gates, who is under court supervision while he awaits sentencing, said in a court filing submitted by his attorney on Thursday that media coverage of his request to take his children on a spring break trip to visit Revolutionary War sites this month led to worrisome online reaction.

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“After entry of the Court’s Order, Boston newspapers published stories that Mr. Gates and his family would be visiting Boston,” attorney Thomas Green wrote. “Publication of that fact generated comments on the internet, some of which were of a threatening character. As a result, Mr. Gates and his wife believe it is not prudent to travel to Boston with their children.”

Green pointed to a Feb. 26 article in The Boston Globe about the planned trip. “Bring a food taster,” one commenter posted. “Gates makes another stable genius decision. His kids will never forget this trip,” another added.

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Because of the comments, Gates proposed taking his family to another location, which was not disclosed in public court filings. Mueller’s office did not object to the initial travel request nor to the subsequent one, Green said.

U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson granted the motion for the revised trip on Thursday afternoon. She did not explain her reasoning.

Last Friday, Gates pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy and making false statements in connection with Mueller’s ongoing Russia investigation. He faces a likely sentence of about 4½ to six years in prison, but could see that time shortened substantially in exchange for his cooperation.

Gates is free on $5 million bail but needs court permission for most travel outside the area of Richmond, Virginia, where he lives. With consent that Mueller gave in the wake of last week’s plea, Jackson also agreed this week to end a requirement that Gates wear a GPS tracking device at all times.